Mello's Rum
by darkwish3
Summary: What Matt sees. Yaoi-ish ... not sure how slashy it will get but there will be at least boy on boy crushes and kissing...I think.
1. Chapter 1

Mello sat on the sofa sipping at his rum filled Coke can as he watched Near playing with matchbox cars on the floor of the playroom. Near was studiously ignoring Mello as he raced the cars in complicated patterns.

Matt sat next to Mello playing a handheld and stealing glances between the two. He'd beat this particular game three times during the time he and Mello had been sitting on the sofa. Matt kept shooting amused glances at the two.

Mello had an intense look on his face as he concentrated on Near. His face seemed to cycle between confused, angry and a look Matt could only call longingly. Mello finished the last of his rum, nodded to himself and stood abruptly.

"Hey Mello, whatcha going to do with Near now?" Matt asked.

Mello's head jerked around as if he just noticed Matt was there. "What are you talking about? I'm going to go fill my can, dork."

Matt nodded sagely " Sure Mello... he looks kinda cute with his toys , huh?"

"Matt stop being an arse, it's just Near." Mello sneered stealing a glance at Near.

"Right, you just go fill your can, I'll keep an eye on him for you. Wouldn't want him to get away , right?" Matt smirked at Mello.

Mello glared at Matt, and nodded with a sigh. "I'll be right back" he said quietly and walked out leaving Matt and Near alone in the playroom.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: You lucked out, this popped into my head this morning when I woke up. I am not a real writer so updates may be very far apart and this might not end with Near and Mello actually getting together. I haven't decided if it will be a happy ending or a poignant angsty ending.

Matt and Mello were sitting in the library doing homework when Matt noticed Near walking in between the shelves of books. Mello hadn't noticed him so far, being to busy studying. Mello's world seemed to shut down when he studied, just him and the books. Matt peered over the edge of his book and watched Near standing in the stacks. He was staring at them... no at Mello. Near's face was completely blank except for a slight downward twitch of his mouth from time to time. Matt, of course had seen this look before, it was Near's "I'm trying to figure this out but I've never seen anything like it." look. Almost never seen outside of social studies. Social studies in Whammy's house had nothing to do with government or foreign people's societies. No, social studies at Whammy was all about pop culture. It was the only class Matt had ever seen Near get flustered in.

Yet he still got 100%'s in the class.

Matt casually got up and headed into the towering shelves, ignoring Near. He circled around so he was behind Near, who was still watching Mello.

"So Near, have you ever seen him look better?" Matt whispered quietly.

Near, without taking his focus off Mello, just murmured back "No, never."

Near went still and stiff then turned to face Matt. "What do you want, Matt?" Near said flatly.

Matt cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean, Near? You were watching us... Well, Mello anyway."

Near sighed. " What will it take to keep you silent about this Matt?"

Matt shook his head "You misunderstand, Near. I think, if the two of you could stop fighting, you'd be good for each other. But that's just me"

Near glanced over at Mello still studying. "Mello hates me. He'd never want to be my friend," he said in a small voice.

Matt blinked at Near a few times. "Mello... friends? I don't think you two will ever be just friends. Near, you need to really think about this whole mess. You're both just hurting yourselves."

With that, Matt pushed past a dumbfounded Near to join Mello at their table. As he sat down he looked over where he'd left Near to see he had already left. 


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, Matt found himself sitting beside Mello (who had another Coke can of rum), in the playroom on the sofa with the best view of Near's corner. Matt snorted softly to himself for the pure deja-vu-ness of the situation.

Mello glanced over at Matt's snort, but when Matt continued playing his game, Mello went back to watching Near. Near had a city of legos around him and was doing something with some finger puppets. Mello took a sip from his Coke can and sighed. Matt glanced at Mello grinning widely.

" Hey Mello, let me have a sip?" Matt asked.

Mello handed over the can without even looking at Matt. Matt took the can and sloshed it slightly. He nodded to himself before nudging Mello and handing the can back. Just as he suspected, Mello had filled it half full earlier. The can had maybe a sip of the rum left in it. Matt grinned as he realized Mello was probably drunk enough to be manipulated.

"Mello, Near looks like he needs your help. You know how hopeless he is on his own. See it?" Matt asked in a normal tone, his voice quiet.

Mello sighed shaking his head. "He doesn't want my help. He hates me, 'member?"

Matt leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. "No, Mells, he doesn't hate you. I'm sure of it. You should see if he'll let you look at his finger puppets. I bet they look really nice! You remember the last ones he made, they were great right? If you asked, I bet he'd make you one." Matt urged softly.

Mello looked over at Matt, his expression dazed from the alcohol, and took a large drink from the can. "Might make me one, huh? Maybe... Yeah... Gonna ask 'im right now..." Mello said standing abruptly then falling back onto the sofa. "Try that again..." Mello muttered.

Mello got to his feet, and with exaggerated care, walked over to Near's city. Matt meanwhile quickly made his way over to some large plants in the playroom and stood behind them. They weren't really a good hiding place, but someone would have to be looking for him to see him. Mello stopped in front of Near and peered down at him a bit bleary. "Near... Near, I came over here... for something." Mello said his voice, coloured by confusion.

Near looked up at Mello calmly studying him. "I believe Mello is quite drunk."

Mello looked down at the puppets Near had been playing with and got an "AHA!" look on his face. "I came over for the puppets, I want puppets... Near."

Near blinked, slightly surprised at Mello's... request. "You, Mello, want my puppets? These puppets?" Near asked.

Mello shook his head, both in denial and to clear it. "No, want you to make one... for me, yeah, make me a Near puppet, right?"

Near looked at Mello for a long moment, then nodded. "Very well, I'll make you a puppet of myself and give it to Matt when it's done."

Mello looked at Near confused. "Why Matt 'n not me?"

"Easy, Mello. If you don't remember asking for it when you sober up, I do not wish to be the one to hand it to you." Near answered coolly.

Mello blinked a few times, then nodded. "Always the smat... smar... smarty, huh?"

Mello turned and made his way to his room before Roger or another adult could notice him. Forgetting his request before he even left the playroom. 


	4. Chapter 4

Present for Mello AN: Special thanks to MothMask, without whom this ... thing...would suck beyond the telling of it. And thank you to the people who reviewed and kept my mind going with ideas.

Near stood outside Matt and Mello's room, fingering the puppet he made for Mello. He was hesitant to follow through with his plan, but Near was far too excited. His face showed none of his feelings as he carefully opened the door.

Near glanced down at the puppet, nearly smirking in satisfaction. It was some of his best work yet. He had toiled for hours with an incredibly small craft knife to work in the details, and it had paid off.

The puppet's hair curled irregularly, in a perfect likeness of Near's own. The angle of the jaw matched nicely with his, showing that the puppet was unmistakably modeled after himself. The eyes had been rather difficult, but they were deep and dark, carved into the surface with a slight counter-relief. The puppet's pajama shirt folded just so, giving the impression that it was slightly oversized.

Near was proud, and rightly so.

Near knew that Mello was searching for him, and that Matt would have tagged along. It's a known fact in Wammy's House that wherever Mello goes, Matt will almost certainly follow.  
>Near carefully slipped into Mello and Matt's room, stepping over wires from video game consoles and old, abandoned chocolate wrappers. He sighed in distaste at the messy room.<br>He eventually picked his way across the floor, to Mello's bed shook his head, amused by Mello's choice of bed sheets. Black, of course, and haphazardly strewn across the mattress. Near made Mello's bed and, with great care, placed the little Near finger puppet in the center of the pillow. He felt a shiver run up his spine at the sight of "himself" on Mello's pillow.

Near turned to leave just as the door opened. For once, Near's feelings were clearly shown on his face. "Oh crap" was written all over his features.

It was Matt. He was alone, thank goodness, but Matt alone walking in on this scene was no big relief. The redhead looked up from his game in surprise as he elbowed the door shut.

Matt stopped short as his eyes landed on the nervous albino. The door clicked shut audibly. They stood still for a moment, staring at each other, before Matt panicked. "Near! What the hell are you doing in here? Do you have a death wish!".

Near managed to reign in his emotions, regaining his usual stoic expression. "I am merely delivering the finger puppet Mello requested." Near broke eye contact with Matt, unintentionally showing his discomfort. "I had hoped to be gone by the time you and Mello returned."

Matt glanced over his shoulder frantically before rushing over to Near. "Mello's checking the kitchens, so you'd better scram! I'll make sure he doesn't freak, okay?" he said in a sympathetic voice. "Just make yourself scarce until he calms down a bit. Got it?"

Near nodded his thanks and hurried off to find somewhere Mello wouldn't think to look for him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Hello, readers~ This is MothMask, Darkwish's beta. Just wanted to say hello to everyone ^w^ Enjoy~~

Matt shook his head at the puppet on Mello's newly made bed. Maybe he'd been a bit hasty in chasing Near off. After all, the kid was just following Mello's request. But it couldn't be helped; If he hadn't made Near leave, Mello would've done the same in a much more unkind way.

Matt nodded to himself and went about setting up a few video cameras. He wanted to show Near Mello's reaction. Provided it was good and not just Mello cursing Near to hell and back.  
>He had just finished setting up the camcorder in one corner of the room and his webcam on his laptop in the other corner when Mello came into the room.<p>

Mello came in, as always, like a whirlwind. He stormed to his bed, obviously intent on throwing himself on his bed in a fit of PMS-esque rage, when he stopped short. For some reason, his bed was made. His bed was never made.

As he scanned over the sheets, he noticed the finger puppet on the pillow.

"Maaatt," Mello drawled, looking over his shoulder in surprise. "Why is my bed made and who the hell put a finger puppet that looks like Near on it?"

Matt watched Mello closely. So far so good; Mello wasn't yet raging.  
>"Near did as you asked and made you the puppet. He dropped it off earlier. He made the bed to be sure you'd see it." Matt replied.<p>

"Maaatt, when did I ask Near for a puppet of him?" Mello asked his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

"Hmm?" Matt asked pretending to play his handheld. "Yesterday, when you got drunk in the playroom. You asked, he said yes, you lurched back to the room to sleep off a half can of rum."

Mello was still staring at the puppet, searching his mind for any memory of the incident. After a few minutes, he began recalling bits of the conversation.

"Matt? Why did I do that?" asked Mello honestly confused.

Matt gave an internal sigh of relief and answered. "I might have pointed out Near made some really cool ones before. Then you stumbled your way over and asked for a Near puppet. I thought you wanted it as a peace token. Y'know, like you were finally going to stop fighting and just live and let live?"

Mello blinked then looked at Matt. "Are you drunk? I'm not giving up until I beat Near, and that's that."

"So what, Mello? You can compete without the drama, you know. Besides, you seemed to like him well enough when your a bit drunk, why not sober?" Matt asked.

Mello took the last few steps over to his bed and picked up the puppet, looking closely at it. "He went all out on this thing. I wonder why..." Mello murmured.

Matt rolled his eyes so hard they almost rolled away. "Because he's trying to impress you. Sheesh, Mello, your kind of slow on the uptake today."

Mello glared at Matt and turned to his nightstand, dropping the puppet into the drawer. "I am NOT 'slow on the uptake', Matt. It just doesn't make sense why he would want to impress me. He hates me, remember?" Mello said almost echoing his drunken words from the day before.

Matt sighed for real and looked up from his game. "Mello, I hate to break it to you, but Near doesn't hate you. He never has. He watches you almost as much as you watch him." Matt said.

Mello looked at Matt shocked for a moment before remembering himself and sneering. "I only watch him to try and figure out how he keeps beating me, Matt."

Matt nodded sagely. "As long as you believe that, Mello."

"Don't make me beat the crap out of you Matt! Just stop trying to make Near and I be friends, okay?" Mello snarled.

"I wasn't, but it's interesting that that was what you came up with. Mello, besides frustration over your standing compared to Near's, how do you really feel about him? Just think about it ok?" Matt said taking his game and leaving a gob smacked Mello behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't until the next day that Matt was able to take down the cameras without Mello noticing.  
>Grinning, Matt quickly loaded the footage onto his computer, and e-mailed it to Near. After making some edits, of course...<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Without MothMask this fic not only wouldn't have happened , it would have SUCKED too.  
>MothMask speaking: As is evidenced by her AN grammar. Or lack thereof. *shakes head sadly*

Near sat on his bed with his open laptop. Mat had stopped him in the hall earlier, telling him to check his email. Near carefully typed in his password and sifted through his email. A few were from various websites he subscribed to, there was an ad that had slipped through his spam blocker, and... aha! There was the one he wanted.

Near clicked it open and saw it had a video attachment. He started the video and watched as Mello stormed into the room and saw the puppet. As the video played, all of Near's focus narrowed to the screen before him.

As soon as the video finished, Near sat back and began twirling his hair in thought. Mello's reaction was quite unexpected. He didn't get angry or break the puppet. He actually put it in his drawer.

"What does it mean?" Near wondered aloud. He was somewhat annoyed that he didn't understand what Mello's actions meant, but he realized well enough that social situations were his weak suit.

Perhaps Mello didn't hate him after all... He could simply be frustrated with his class standing, and didn't know how to express it.

Near nodded to himself. "I'll... I'll try to be... friendly?" he asked himself. "No, Mello would think I'd lost my mind. I'll just... try hard to not provoke him. Yes, I think that would work..."

Near was working on a puzzle in the playroom when Mello strolled in. Near noted that Matt was, for once, absent from Mello's side.

Mello sat down on "his" sofa and unwrapped a chocolate bar. He was pretending to ignore Near in favor of the chocolate. Near watched out of the corner of his eye for a few moments, before deciding to put his "be nicer to Mello but not too nice" plan into action.

Near looked up from his puzzle and tried to catch Mello's eye. When their eyes finally met, Near gave a small smile. Mello jerked back as if he had been smacked, and gazed warily at the unfazed Near.

Near nodded slightly, then went back to his puzzle. As he put two pieces together, he heard Mello mutter "Not enough rum in the world", before walking out of the playroom. Near hid a small smirk as he watched Mello's retreating form.


	7. Chapter 7

It took Mello about 5 minutes after getting back to his room for him to come to the conclusion Near was messing with him. At first he got pissed, but after thinking about it for a little while, he decided Near wasn't going to "win" this.  
>Mello broke out his secret stash of rum filled chocolates and dug in, thinking hard. It took half of the box, but eventually, Mello came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea.<br>He decided he was going to beat Near at his own game. He was going to be so~ nice to Near till Near freaked and broke off this little "game". The devious blonde grinned at his genius.

Mello looked up as Matt came in the room. "Matt, Near is acting weirder than usual. What do you know about it?"

Matt blinked at Mello a few times, then shook his head. "I don't know anything. What do you mean, Mells?"

Mello sighed, popping another liquored chocolate into his mouth. "It was majorly weird,Matt. The little shit *smiled* at me. A real smile! I didn't know his face could *do* that!"

Matt cracked up laughing and fell onto his bed, clutching his sides.

Mello glared and threw an empty chocolate wrapper at him. "It's not funny, you ass. He's up to something, I know it."

Mello stood abruptly and weaved back and forth before stomping out the door. As he walked through the hall, mind fogged with rum, he grinned.

xxx

Near was building a wall of cards when Mello came storming into his room.

"Mello, how can I help you?" Near asked as his wall collapsed.  
>Mello stomped over and grabbed Near by the front of his jammies. "How can you help me? How can you help ME?" Mello snarled, his nose almost brushing Nears.<p>

Near swallowed hard, but kept his expression neutral. "Is something wrong, Mello?" Near asked in an even tone.

Mello growled in Nears face, then pulled him forward by the front of his shirt, and mashed their lips together hard. Everything froze for a moment while shock spilled through both of them. Near was just a bit quicker on the uptake and began moving his lips, kissing Mello back.

Mello made a whimpering sound, pushed Near away and ran back to his room.

Matt took one look at his roomate's face and shook his head. "For numbers one and two, you both are idiots, you know."


	8. Chapter 8

A Few Truths

Mello fell onto his bed face first as Matt made his smartassed comment. He glared over at Matt, feeling the alcohol burn out of his system from the shock of what just happened. "What is THAT supposed to mean?" he growled.

Matt looked up from his game and shrugged. "Lately, every time you are alone with Near, you come back looking like someone ate the last piece of chocolate in the house. By the way, Rodger came by for a surprise inspection and saw the liquored chocolates. He confiscated them." Matt said in a bored tone of voice.

"He what! And you didn't hide them for me? Did he do a spot check or is everything gone?" Mello asked.

Matt sighed, saved his game and sat up eyeing Mello. "No, he didn't check the floorboards under your bed. Sheesh, Mello, you know he never even checks under beds at all. Why the cubby under there?"

Mello rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "I keep the important or forbidden stuff there, is all." Mello said.

Matt looked Mello over and came to a decision. "Mells, you know your my best friend, right?"

Mello looked over at Matt curiously. "Yeah, whats's up Matt?"

Matt took a deep breath and continued. " I don't know what happened just now with Near, but I know something DID happen because of how freaked you were when you came in. Only Near can get you that worked up. But you two aren't enemies. You haven't been for a while now, no matter how much you tell yourself you still hate him."

Mello started to interrupt but stopped to hear what his best friend was saying. He gave Matt a dirty look at the comment of him not hating Near and made a 'go on' motion with one hand.

"You watch him constantly when he's in the room, and not in a 'I hate you' way. He watches you, too. He made you a puppet YOU asked for, and I think it was a peace offering. What I'm saying, Mello, is get your head out of your ass and try talking to him SOBER," Matt finished and waited for the shit storm to start.

Mello was staring at him like he'd grown brass balls the size of hot air balloons. "Matt, I'm mostly sober right now, and I'm trying to decide whether to kick your ass or just pretend you didn't say that and go to sleep." Mello said in an overly calm voice.

"I'd rather you not kick my ass but I really don't want you to go sailing on de-nile either. Just think about it, ok? You know I'm at least partially right." Matt said and flopped back onto his bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Near sat amidst his cards and slowly touched his lips, still staring at the door Mello had bolted out of.  
>A thousand thoughts a second were flitting through Near's mind, all along the theme of 'Mello kissed me'. Near absently began gathering up the scattered cards as he put his mind back in order.<p>

'I wonder if this means he doesn't hate me, like I thought. What will he do next? Is he going to get angry and blame it all on me? Will he hate me more than he did before?' Near slowed the racing thoughts down with a deep breath.

'He tasted of chocolate and alcohol again. It might not mean anything beyond the fact he was drinking again. Is it possible I am driving him to drink?' Near thought bemused.

"If I am, I must find a way to stop him. It isn't good for him, after all." Near mumbled aloud.  
>Near carefully placed the cards on his dresser and straightened his pajamas. He resolutely walked out his door and made his way to Mello and Matt's room. <p>


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out, and I'm sorry it's pretty sucky but I figured I'd better put this up now rather than wait for how ever long the next bit takes.**

While Near was setting himself to rights in his room, Mello was leaving his own. He quickly made his way out of Wammy's House and onto the grounds. Mello found a nice tree to sit under, and sipped his rum. He kicked back, putting his superior intelligence to work. After two ounces of rum, Mello was starting to be honest with himself (an unusual thing for the blonde).

'I probably scarred the brat for life. What was I thinking, dammit? Ah, hell, I wasn't thinking. Damn Near and his rosy, soft, perfect- ARGH! I need to stop this! Why am I suddenly so hot for him?' Mello ranted to himself in his head. He realized what he'd just thought, and promptly choked on his rum.

"I am NOT hot for that little albino sheep!" Mello reassured himself loudly.

Matt walked up behind Mello. "You are too, Mello," he snorted. "You're so hot for him that you've gone and gotten drunk off your ass. I mean, you're wasted even for your shitty standards." Matt chuckled.

Mello looked up at the redhead and sneered. "I'm not drunk. I'm thinking, if you must know."

Matt shook his head sadly. His friend was so dense sometimes... "How? Your brains are practically dribbling out your ears from all the rum you've had! Mello, getting drunk isn't going to fix this, and you know it."

Mello looked away. He gazed into his half-empty coke can and sighed. "Well, it got me my first kiss, didn't it?"

Matt nodded. "I'm sure it did. But do you really want every kiss to be soaked in rum? And you know damn well you want more, so don't even start arguing with me."

Mello nodded and slowly turned the can upside-down. He winced slightly as the amber liquid hit the ground, and seeped into the dirt.

"Why do you have to be right, Matt?" Mello whined. "The kid's gonna think I'm a lush. Don't want him thinking that... He annoys the hell out of me, Matt! Always beating me in grades and never showing any emosh... em... feelings. He's driving me nuts!"

Mello only ever whined around Matt. But Matt only ever cried around Mello, so they were even.

Matt turned, and started walking back to the front door. "Okay, now you're thinking. That's my cue to leave."

It was a good hour before Mello heard the soft sound of footsteps nearby.

"Not now, Matt. I'm still thinking."

"I am not Matt, Mello," came the soft response.

Mello almost gave himself whiplash, he turned around so fast


	10. Chapter 10

**AN/ I disavow this story. Am no longer writing this thing….my bottle of rum is. I am so f*ing drunk MY BETA disavows this chapter**

_**BETA'S A/N**_

_**This was quite fun~ ^_^ Done at midnight with a drunk author and much banter. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did (even though Darkwish totally wussed out. You'll see what I mean.)**_

The cool wind whipped by the two boys, carrying a few leaves with it. They stared at each other for a few moments, one with a look of mild amusement on his face, and the other in complete shock.

Standing there in his white-clad feet was Near. His clothes, blank as a canvas, shone brightly against his skin. A halo of light surrounded the top of his hair, while his face was nearly silhouetted by the sun. Mello peered up at Near, somewhat blinded by the white.

"Near? Outside? Damn, I'm drunker than I thought," Mello sputtered.

Near studied Mello closely. "Actually, you appear to be more sober than I've seen you in quite a while, Mello" Near said.

Mello blinked intelligently at that pronouncement. He reached up and rubbed his eyes before responding.

"Your socks will get dirty." He said.

"Mello is correct. But this outing was necessary for your health, Mello," the albino said calmly.

"My health? What are you talking about, Near?" Mello asked.

Near sighed slightly, looking into Mello's eyes. Dark blue met onyx, and Mello couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. "Am I driving you to drink, Mello? Would it be better for me to stay away…" he asked, his lips quirking up at the corners, "or come closer?"

Mello swallowed thickly a few times before answering.

"Closer. Much… Much closer." Mello said, his throat going dry.

A tiny smirk graced Near's face as he moved closer to the bewildered blonde. "What would Mello like me to do now?" Near asked, amusement in his voice.

Mello's eyes took on a glint. He signaled for Near to sit. "Down here." He said.

Near slowly sunk to his knees infront of the seated Mello.

Mello licked his lips and gently took the front of Near's jammies in his fist. He slowly pulled Near closer, giving him plenty of time to pull away. Slowly and softly their lips met in the sweetest kiss ever seen at Whammy's house.

It was like lightning running down both of their spines. Near moaned into the kiss making Mello whimper in response.

Mello's hand fell away from Near's pajamas to rest on his hip. They slowly deepened the kiss. Near's hands rested on Mello's shoulders, then slowly drifted down his arms.

Mello's hand tightened on Near's hip, then slowly moved around to the front of Near's jammies. He gently ran his hand over Near's length.

"Nngh."

Near let out a short, low noise that halted Mello's hand.

Near gently nibbled on Mello's lower lip, before pulling back. He ran his hands back up Mello's arms to rest on his collarbones.

"Like this," Near said, running his hands down Mello's chest to stop at his nipples. Near ran his thumbs back and forth over the nubs, and watched. He found himself pleased as Mello's head fell back and a low groan was dragged from him.

Mello slowly ran his hands up to the other's nipples, running his fingers across them slowly.

"Like that?" Mello asked breathlessly.

Near nodded and let his fingers drift lower, tantalizing Mello's belt buckle.

Mello's hands echoed Near's, slowly making their way down.

After that, Mello's world devolved into soft touches and hot breaths. The whole world seemed to come apart at the seams and reassemble itself, with Near sitting on top of him, and a sticky wet mess between them.


End file.
